Soldier killed in attack near paramilitary camp in Kashmir

At least one paramilitary soldier was killed when two gunmen opened fire near a camp in the main city in Indian-controlled Kashmir, officials said Monday.

The attack came hours after government troops ended a two-day gunbattle with three gunmen at an army camp in another part of the disputed region. Five soldiers and one civilian were killed in that clash.

Rajesh Yadav, a spokesman for the Central Reserve Police Force, said the building near the camp in Srinagar where Monday’s attack occurred has been cleared of all civilians.

Police chief S.P. Vaid said the area has been cordoned off and troops are exchanging fire with the gunmen.

Late Sunday, government troops ended a gunbattle with militants inside an army camp in the region’s Jammu area.

Three militants were killed by late Sunday night, ending the attack that began at dawn on Saturday when the militants stormed the Sunjuwan army base on the outskirts of the city of Jammu.

The Himalayan region of Kashmir is divided between India and archrival Pakistan. Both claim the region in its entirety.

Several militant groups have been fighting for Kashmir’s independence from India or its merger with Pakistan since 1989. Around 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown.

India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the militants, a charge it denies.unb